Re/Max Survey Reveals the Trade-Offs Canadian Buyers Accept to Afford a Better Home

Roughly 65% of Canadians say they would make at least one major compromise to buy a home that fits their life better, according to Re/Max's 2026 housing trends report. The outcome you want is a home you can afford that you will not need to sell in three years because you gave up the wrong thing.

1. Write down three non-negotiables and cap it there. Everything else goes on a "tradeable" list. Bedroom count usually belongs in the first group. Buyers who settle on a fundamental need often resell quickly, and the costs of selling and buying again wipe out whatever they saved.
2. Run the exit math before you accept any compromise. Price out what it would cost to sell and buy again in five years: realtor commissions, legal fees, moving and Manitoba's land transfer tax. That tax runs on a sliding scale that reaches 2% on the portion of the price over $200,000. As an illustration, a $450,000 purchase works out to about $6,650 in land transfer tax alone. If a compromise could force that second move, it is not saving you money.
3. Get a contractor's written estimate before you write the offer on a fixer-upper. Many buyers now see a home that needs work as their way into a better neighbourhood. That can work. But with current labour and material costs, a major renovation can cost more than the value it adds. Bring a contractor to the second showing, and make your offer conditional on an inspection.
4. Ask your lender in writing how they count basement suite rent. More buyers want a secondary suite to help carry the mortgage or to house an aging parent. Lenders differ on how much of the rent they count toward your qualifying income, and many will not count a suite that is not legal. Confirm with the municipality that the suite has the right permits before you rely on that income.
5. Get pre-approved at the stress test rate, not the rate you expect to pay. The federal stress test makes you qualify at a rate higher than your actual mortgage rate. That is why even high-income buyers often qualify for less than they expect. Know your real ceiling before you start ranking trade-offs.
6. Measure the rooms you use every day, not the total square footage. Many buyers now choose a smaller home with a better layout. A dedicated office with a door and a solid internet connection will likely get more use than a formal dining room or a guest wing.
7. Ask the seller for 12 months of utility bills and the furnace's install date. Energy efficiency has moved from a nice extra to a real cost issue. A newer furnace and good insulation lower your monthly carrying costs for as long as you own the home. Older windows or an aging furnace are a bill coming your way, so factor that into your offer.
8. Walk the block before you commit to the house. A plain house on a strong street often holds its value better than a renovated house on a weak one. Your principal residence is generally exempt from capital gains tax when you sell, so the value you add by improving it is a tax-free gain.
9. Drive the commute at rush hour in January. Remote work has pushed some buyers farther out of Winnipeg to find lower prices. Most people still have a limit on how far they will commute. Property values in rural Manitoba also tend to rise and fall more sharply than values inside the Perimeter. Test the drive in winter before you sign.
10. Treat this purchase as a ten-year home, not a forever home. Pick the compromises you can live with for a decade, and plan the next move from there. For context, CREA put the national average sale price at $668,219 in August 2026. Winnipeg remains one of the more accessible major markets for buyers with good income and equity.

The step people skip most is number 2. Doing the exit math takes about twenty minutes. It is also the step that tells you whether a compromise will save you money or cost you a second land transfer tax bill.